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Specifying planned changes to a communications network

Publishing Venue

The IP.com Prior Art Database

Abstract

A method of specifying changes to a communications network is disclosed. The method uses a network model representing a current configuration of the communications network. Scope information is received defining a subset of the network model to which changes are to be made. Model information relating to the defined subset of the network model is copied in accordance with the scope information, to create a partial model copy. The partial model copy is then modified to represent a planned configuration of the communications network. The partial model may be validated as consistent with the network model for the current configuration, and to reserve resources within it. Changes within the partial model may be passed to other models, including the current configuration.

Country

United States

Language

English (United States)

This text was extracted from a Microsoft Word document.

At least one non-text object (such as an image or picture) has been suppressed.

This is the abbreviated version, containing approximately
3% of the total text.

Method and system for specifying planned
changes to a communications network

The present invention relates to methods
and systems for specifying planned changes to a communications network.

Prior art network management
systems typically provide a network model, stored in a database, representing a
current configuration of a communications network. Planners can use this model
to plan changes and enhancements to the network. After such changes have been implemented in
the network, the network model may then be updated to reflect the new
configuration of the network.

However, planned changes may often
be specified in an ad hoc, informal manner, which does not relate directly to
the specific details of the network model. For example, notes may be added to a
network model describing future planned modifications. However, if planned
modifications are not defined sufficiently rigorously it can be difficult for
other users of the network management system to understand the exact nature of
the planned changes. Also, this approach does not provide a planner with a
clear picture of how planned changes will affect the network.

In some cases, a network planner
may modify the network model directly to see how planned changes will affect
the network, but this results in the network model no longer corresponding to
the actual operational network. To address this, a planner may instead use a
copy of the network model database to plan changes. However, it can then be
difficult to merge changes made in the copy back into the main model. If
multiple planners are working on the model independently, each planner may need
a separate copy of the database, exacerbating the problem of collating the
planned changes. Also, the entire database may have to be locked if a planner
wishes to transfer changes from a copy over into the main operational model
database, affecting other users of the network management system.

The present invention seeks to
alleviate some of these problems.

Accordingly, in a first
aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of specifying changes to a
communications network, comprising: storing
a network model representing a first configuration of the communications
network; receiving scope information defining a subset of the network model to
which changes are to be made; copying model information relating to the defined
subset of the network model in accordance with the scope information, to create
a partial model copy; and modifying the partial
model copy to represent a second configuration of the communications
network.

This can allow planning to be performed using a copy of
only a relevant portion of the network model, avoiding the need for maintaining
and synchronizing multiple different copies of an entire network model
database. Also, several planners can simultaneously...